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Lord hath commanded me to believe; and therefore it is my duty to believe, and because I cannot believe unless I apply the promise to myself, therefore I may conclude that the promise doth belong unto me. Thus for the first temptation.

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2. For the other, That your relying on Chrift is not conftant. True faith, faith Satan, is ever alike ftrong and ftedfaft; but thy faith is but a wavering, inconftant, fleeting faith. Confider,

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1. It is a fallacy and no truth, that faith in the exercife or fenfe is ever alike ftrong and ftedfaft. The experience of all faints can tell you, that faith hath its flowings and - ebbings, full and wane. Sometimes a Chriftian is on the wing, and then he faith, I think if the devil had hold on me, yet I could trust in God for heaven; as Job could fometimes fay, If the Lord flay me, yet will I trust in kim, Job xiii. i5. But we know that was not Job's temper always. Sometimes I think that if God would take me a way in a maffacre, I should yield my blood without a repining word: Another time I fo doubt my interest in Chrift, that I do not know how. I should die upon my bed, unless with crying, Lord take me not away with the wicked. David fometimes would not be afraid of his foul going out of his body, if ten thousand fwords were ready to cut out a paffage; I will not be afraid of ten thousand of people, that have fet themselves against me round about; at another time he cries complaining and fhrieking, O fpare. me, that I may recover firength before I go hence and be no more, Pfal. xxviii. 3. and vi. 3, 39. Faith may be fo interrupted, that the pulfe of it cannot always beat alike; and yet while there is life, the pulfe of faith beats, though fometimes more faintly and deadly than at other times.

2. Faith, that in the exercife or fense is not ever alikę ftrong and fledfaft, yet in the habit or effence is ever true, and truly relies upon Jefus Chrift: Senfe in a Chriftian, may not only have a mist cast before its eyes, but (as faith Collins) may have its eyes put out. Chriftians are mifjudging creatures, and too ready upon Satan's temptations to fufpect their own happinefs; they may call their faith prefumption,

prefumption, as well as fome call their prefumption faith The hypocrite calls his drofs gold, and his alchymy filver; and the fufpecting Chriftian is ready on the other hand to call his gold brafs, and his filver lead; Chrift may be fay ing in heaven concerning fuch an one, Thou art faved, thou art faved, whilft he may be crying on earth, OIam damned, I am damned! the angels may be in heaven re joicing over him whom we fee here mourning over his own fout for fin, and will not be comforted: It may be thou fayeft, I do not believe, I do not rely on Jefus Chrift; but let me afk, Could there be fuch an hungring and thir ing after Chrift, if thou didst not believe on Chrift? Could there be fuch a care to please Chrift, and a fear of offend. ing Chrift in thy whole life and converfation, if thou did not rely on him for eternal life and falvation? Could there be fuch a willingness in thee to part with all for Chrift, if thou didst not rely on him as thy portion, and thy all in all? Surely this is impoffible, content thyfelf; if thou hast not the fenfe, yet thou haft the habit, and not only the habit, but the act of faith alfo in fome meafure, at fome times, tho' it feem very weak.

SECT.

XVI.

Of Satan's Alfaults upon Obedience to Chrift.

THE

HE laft act of the Spirit, as to converfion, is to work in the foul an obedience to Chrift: True faith cannot be without works; the foul that truly takes Chrift cannot be without works; the foul that truly takes Christ as a Saviour, to free him from the mifery of fin, is wil ling alfo to take him as a Lord, Husband, and King, to ferve, love, honour and obey him: And to this purpofe the Spirit now works in fuch a one, a willingness to (pend the remainder of his life in endeavouring after mortification of fin, conquests over corruptions, fanctification, purity, new obedience, ability to do or fuffer any thing for Jefus Christ; and this is that which we ordinarily intend by faying, Sav ing faith is to be operative: That faith which brings forth nothing of holiness, what is it but a dead faith: As the body without the Spirit is dead, fo faith without works is dead alfo,' James ii. 25.

Satan that observes this, begets fcruples in the foul, as

to

that point of working faith, that either fills the heart with an opinion that works are unneceffary, or makes the oul conceit, that the faith it hath is not a working, but n idle, lazy, fruitless, and barren faith. I shall speak to joth these.

1. In fome Satan fpeaks strongly, that works are not needful, and therefore to what purpose should they work? jaked Chrift,

heedful, ap and a baked faith is enough for them: Chrift

as a priest and Saviour is gofpel-news; let them hear fuch, and only fuch fermons as hold forth free love, free justification, free grace, without any mixture of the works of the law, to what purpose, fay they, is this living faith, or working faith, or power of faith evidenced in ftrictness of walking? Christ hath redeemed us, and Christ requires no other condition but only this, Believe and be faved; and why then should we vex and torment ourselves by embrac ing mortification, newness of life, &c.

2. In others (whom I rather mind) Satan fuggefts that their faith is not a working faith, and therefore no true faith: Convinced they are, that faith and grace, wherever it is, cannot be idle; faith hath its work, and therefore it is called, The work of faith with power, 2 Theff. i, 21. But alas! they cannot find any thing in their fouls that looks like the powerful works of faith: Satan tells them, that if they do any good, it is but from natural or moral principles, and not from this quickning power of faith, it is not the obedience of faith, as the apoftle calls it, Rom. xvi. 26.

SECT. XVII.

Of our Wrestling with Satan as to thefe Affaults.
N repelling these affaults, let us avoid both extremes.
And first, to that of denying works, confider,

1. That a naked faith is no faith, that only is true faith which worketh by love, Gal. v. 6. This was the faying of John Hufs, Where good works appear not with out, faith is not within. There is a natural connection of faith and works, and therefore of neceffity both must be in the fame fubject, tho' both appear not in the fame court; faith that embraceth Chrift is obediential, and fruitful in all good works; and hence we fay, that faith

hath

hath two notable acts, first to apprehend and lay hold of 'Chrift; and fecond to purify and cleanfe the heart; O let no man separate thofe things which God hath joined to gether; as Chrift is made to us righteoufnefs and fancti fcation; fo they that by faith receive the righteousness of Chrift, muft alfo be fanctified by Chrift; whosoever is in Christ is a new creature, 2 Cor. v. 17.

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2. That good works are neceffary by the command of God; for this is the will of God, even your fanctification, 1 Theff. iv. 8. Hence the law of God still remaineth as a rule and directory; and Paul profefféth that he delighteth in the law of God in his inward man, Rom. vii. 22. And how often do we read of this command of God in his word? Charge them that are rich in the world, that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to diftribute, laying up in fore for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay <hold on eternal life,' 1 Tim. vi. 17, 18, 19. For we are his workmanship created in Jefus Christ unto good 'works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them,' Eph. ii. 10. A multitude of fuch paffag. es may we find in fcripture.

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3. That to hold forth Chrift only as a Saviour, and not as a prince, faith and not works, it is not right and fullgofpel preaching: This is a faithful faying, and these things I will that thou affirm conftantly, that they which ⚫ have believed on God, muft be careful to maintain good works; these things are good and profitable unto men,' Tit. iii. 8. O unfaithful are they in their fayings that deny that which Paul would have Titus to affirm conftant ly? Surely this is true gospel preaching, ' He gave himfelf for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works; these things speak and exhort,' Tit. ii. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. Paul to Titus, and Peter to the Jews, speak one and the fame thing, The God of our fathers hath. * raised up Jefus, to be not only a Saviour, but a Prince, ⚫ not only to give remiffion of fins, but also repentance to Ifrael,' Acts v. 30, 31. Away, away with that tempta. tion, that works are unneceffary.

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2. To that complaint, that the foul cannot find the powerful work of faith in it, All those works of mine, faith the foul, are but natural or moral; or if I have any faith, it is the idleft, lazieft, loosest faith that ever Chrif tian had. Give me leave to fum up these directions:

1. Clear up the eyes of thy understanding, and judge aright: Some works may be only the effects of natural or moral causes, but other works respecting the principles and circumstances of them, cannot proceed from any but a true faith: For instance, an unfeigned hatred of every falfe way, a doing of duty in pure obedience to the command of God, and in pure respect to the glory of God: Thefe are fuch effects of faith, as no hypocrite in the world ei ther hath or can have. An hypocrite may leave the com. miffion of fome fins, or may hate fome enormities of life, but he cannot, as David did, hate every false way, Pfal. cxix. 104. An hypocrite may faft, and pray, and mourn, as the Pharifee and Ahab did, but he cannot do thus merely out of obedience to God, and for the glory of God: Come then, clear up thy eyes, and fee if there be no more ingredients in thy actions than what a hypocrite may have.

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2. Set thy faith on work, on the powerful works of faith, and fo put all out of question. As, 1. Caufe thy foul every day in folemn manner to act that firft work of faith, of panting, breathing, defiring after Chrift, of trufting, refting, relying on Chrift for life and for falvatian. 2. Act that next work of faith, of depending on Chrift for holiness and fanctification; draw virtue out of Chrifl's death for the mortification of thy fins, Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the 'body of fin may be deftroyed, that henceforth we should 'not ferve fin,' Rom. vi. 6. And draw virtue out of Chrift's refurrection, for a quickning power from the death of fin to the life of holiness, that as thou art dead with Chrift, and buried with Christ, so thou may also rife with Chrift thro' the faith of the operation of God, who hath alfo raised him from the dead. Be much in prayer, meditation, reading, hearing the word, &c. yea, lay out thy gifts, graces, time, ftrength, riches, intereft, to thy Mafter's

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